Rabbi Fishel's Blog - Chabad of Naples

SAD SAD DAY...

Thursday, May 22, 2025 - 5:04 PM

SAD SAD DAY...

Dear Friends,

Our hearts are shattered by the murder of two Israeli Embassy staff members outside a function at the Jewish Museum in Washington, DC.

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, two beautiful souls taken in an act of terror. Their dreams were stolen. Their future erased. Our sorrow and outrage are beyond words.

They were peacebuilders. Bridge-makers. Proud Jews. And for that, their lives were stolen.

This must be a wake-up call. Allowing antisemitism to fester, leads to murder and terror. Antisemitism is not just a Jewish problem. It is a blemish on the civilized world. It requires a whole of society response. This is a matter of life and death.

Let's honor their holy and precious souls, and as difficult as it seems, let's try to channel today's emotions into actions. Action in confronting our enemies, action in improving ourselves, strengthening our unity, increasing in mitzvot, and reciting prayers and Psalms in their loving memory.

Let's join together this Shabbat at the Chabad of Naples Mishpacha to honor their precious souls.

To their families, friends, and all who knew and loved them, we mourn with you. We hold you in our hearts and prayers during this unimaginable time.

This Shabbat as we conclude the book of Vayikra, we are reminded of the eternal command: “You shall not stand idly by the blood of your fellow” (Vayikra 19:16). We cannot be silent.

And with the words Chazak, Chazak, v’nitchazek — “Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another” — may we find the courage to carry each other forward with unity, purpose, and faith.

May their memories be a blessing.

We pray that God will finally wipe away all tears, heal the broken hearts, and bring true comfort to us all.

With love and resolve.

Am Yisroel Chai.

Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos

We don't burn out. We burn brighter

Friday, May 9, 2025 - 1:18 PM

Dear friends,

This is an exciting week coming up, and let me tell you why.

As a child, I remember Lag BaOmer was always a special holiday. And now, as an adult, it’s even more meaningful. The message behind it is deeply relevant—perhaps more now than ever.

This coming Thursday is a special day on the Jewish calendar. It marks the passing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the Talmudic sage who introduced the study of Jewish mysticism to the masses.

It also marks the day when the plague stopped among the students of Rabbi Akiva.

And here is the powerful message:

When Rabbi Akiva lost 24,000 students, he didn’t become hopeless. He didn’t give up or give in. When the last funeral concluded, when the last shiva was observed, on Lag BaOmer he found five new students and started again.

Lag BaOmer is the celebration of never becoming hopeless or despondent. It is a day of tenacity, resilience, and a commitment to carry on and to continue our magnificent heritage and sacred mission in this world. The message is clear: keep the fire burning. Keep the passion, energy, and enthusiasm going. Live the legacy of Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, and the holy souls we’ve lost since October 7.

Let’s shine their light forward. We carry their mission. And we must never allow that light to dim.

Especially now, with everything going on in the world, it’s easy to feel drained. Sometimes it can feel like our inner flame is fading. But this is precisely when we need to dig deeper. To keep the fire of our neshama alive and glowing. To stay connected. To stay inspired. Because the world needs our light more than ever. Every mitzvah, every act of kindness, every moment of Jewish pride adds fuel to that flame. We don’t burn out. We burn brighter.

As we pray for ourselves and our families, let’s also pray for all those who will spend this Shabbos without their loved ones. Pray for the hostages and for the holy land of Israel, the Jewish people, and the world over—for light, love, and peace.

Lag BaOmer is a special day of unity. When God looks down and sees His children united, He opens the heavens and showers blessings upon us all.

Let’s come together this Thursday at 6 PM for a special community Lag BaOmer barbecue. The greatest blessing is when we stand united as a community. “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell together.” It will be a beautiful time to reconnect, to celebrate, and to uplift one another. Please RSVP by clicking here. We can’t wait to see you there.

Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos

Letting Go, Holding On, and Moving Forward!

Friday, May 2, 2025 - 2:03 PM

Dear Friends,

The miracle of 1948 was repeated in 1967, again in 1973 - and we continue to pray for it to be repeated once more, half a century later, following October 7, 2023.

It is the miracle of the G-d of Israel saving the People of Israel from the hands of those who, time and again, declare their intent to destroy her. One of the most haunting images of October 7 is of Shiri clutching her children with all her might. Another face etched into our collective memory is that of Noa Argamani, torn from her partner at the Nova Festival, clinging to the back of a motorcycle.

Last week, Noa was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025. She is a global beacon of strength and resilience. Just days after her rescue, she was seen dancing with her father at a party. It raised eyebrows, but in that moment, she became the living embodiment of “we will dance again.” Despite 246 days in captivity, the loss of her mother, and her partner still in captivity, Noa knew the power of letting go and pushing towards a better future.

These two opposite images—one of holding on with all your might, and one of letting go with all your heart—tell the story of the Jewish people. We are a people who have held on—for dear life—through exile, loss, and pain. And yet, we are also a people who have learned, when necessary, to let go, to move forward, to rebuild, and to hope again.

Letting go is hard. Sometimes harder than holding on.

Letting go is never easy, but we come to learn how to do it throughout life.

We are also a people who know how to hold on—to our history, our traditions, and to hope. Yehuda Halevi called us “asirei tikvah”—prisoners of hope. The only prison we Jews are proud to be in.

Hope, is one thing we never let go of. The Jewish people have clung to it through centuries of exile, persecution, and heartbreak. We’ve imagined redemption again and again. And we still do. Despite being exiled to every corner of the globe.

This Shabbat, let’s do what we do best as a community, keep imagining, keep hoping, and know that together, we will all dance again

We pray for G-d’s continued protection and deliverance of the Jewish people from those who seek our harm.

But we also recommit.

We recommit to living more Jewishly. To shining more brightly. To giving the world the light that it so desperately needs - the light for which Hashem created the Jewish people and sent every soul, into this world: to illuminate it.

Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos